Scan barcode
helendeu's review against another edition
3.0
Generally a good read. Particular favourites were: Kate Forsyth, Sunil Badami, Andy Griffiths, Anita Heiss and Geordie Williamson. Some I found a little pretentious and skimmed over those but overall it was an interesting read.
shelleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
"The idea for this book was simple, as simple as the act of reading itself: how compelling it is when authors write about books, other authors or just moments in their reading lives that have been significant for them."
Edited by Debra Adelaide, The Simple Act of Reading is a collection of short personal essays from twenty one of Australia's celebrated writers.
Luke Davies writes of childhood correspondence with Herge, the author of TinTin. Joan London praises The Watch Tower by Elizabeth Harrower, while David Malouf recalls the first time he read Jane Eyre. Catherine Keenan shares the joy of her young daughter cracking the code of the written word, and Anita Heiss writes of discovering her love for reading when studying for her doctorate in her late twenties.
I recognised myself in several of the essays, I was just like Kate Forsyth describes herself, in 'Books are Dangerous';
"When I was a child, I was such a bookworm that I troubled and bewildered even my very bookish parents. I would borrow six books at a time from the local library, and have read them all by the following day. I used to walk home from school reading. I would become so absorbed in the book that I would walk past my turn-off, and some considerable time later look up, finding myself blocks away from home. I’d miss my stop on train journeys. I would not hear my name being called in class. I would read so late at night that I could hear the kookaburras’ weird cackle as I reluctantly turned the last pages."
In fact little has changed :)
The Simple Act of Reading is an engaging collection that will appeal to book lovers everywhere.
And this, from Sunni Budami in 'In Your Deams' is the perfect retort for the question oft asked of bookworms;
" So, if you can recall the question: if we forget most of what we read, then why do we read? You might as well ask why we dream, or live at all, given how much we forget of our dreams and lives. Yet just as I cannot imagine being alive without dreams, I couldn’t dream of living without reading."
brocc's review against another edition
4.0
A really wonderful read that got me excited about reading all over again - and I have been going through a bit of a slump, too. This is an inspiring little collection that really shows the wonder of reading and how important it is to different people. I didn't quite connect with all of the essays in this collection, but the majority had me nodding along and feeling as if I was in a room of good friends (with great reading taste, too). Also, bonus, I have added quite a few things to my to-be-read list.
mpapaz's review against another edition
5.0
Contains all the reasons I read and more. Essays from famous Australian writers on the topic of reading. Perfect for readers and writers alike. Learn how to read like a writer and be inspired by your reading.
emkoshka's review against another edition
3.0
'I fitted awkwardly into my own life, but I was a native in the land of reading' - Catherine Keenan.
There are many similarly poetic and profound statements on the power of reading in this enjoyable and readable collection of essays, but this one seemed to distil all of them into one. It highlights the seeming incongruity of the passive reader in a hyperactive world and their subsequent self-isolation through books. More importantly, it captures the pure magic of reading: that we can exist in two places at once, in the physical location of where we read, but better, the mental location we create from what we read. This duality of self - that we can be simultaneously reclining in a comfy armchair while also fighting fantasy creatures in snow-capped mountains - is what makes reading so captivating, compelling and addictive. Far from being a simple act, reading is a physically and mentally strenuous activity, the apparent passivity of which belies its core truth: that it is a journey through worlds, undertaken simultaneously alone and in the company of fantastical others. Those who don't read live half lives; those who do live multiple lives.
There are many similarly poetic and profound statements on the power of reading in this enjoyable and readable collection of essays, but this one seemed to distil all of them into one. It highlights the seeming incongruity of the passive reader in a hyperactive world and their subsequent self-isolation through books. More importantly, it captures the pure magic of reading: that we can exist in two places at once, in the physical location of where we read, but better, the mental location we create from what we read. This duality of self - that we can be simultaneously reclining in a comfy armchair while also fighting fantasy creatures in snow-capped mountains - is what makes reading so captivating, compelling and addictive. Far from being a simple act, reading is a physically and mentally strenuous activity, the apparent passivity of which belies its core truth: that it is a journey through worlds, undertaken simultaneously alone and in the company of fantastical others. Those who don't read live half lives; those who do live multiple lives.
glaiza_echo's review
4.0
https://paperwanderer.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/haven-shelter-or-inspiration-on-reading/
brocc's review
4.0
A really wonderful read that got me excited about reading all over again - and I have been going through a bit of a slump, too. This is an inspiring little collection that really shows the wonder of reading and how important it is to different people. I didn't quite connect with all of the essays in this collection, but the majority had me nodding along and feeling as if I was in a room of good friends (with great reading taste, too). Also, bonus, I have added quite a few things to my to-be-read list.
More...